


Smiles we never shared

by tuhis



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Kissing, M/M, inspired by ircquote #38961, interrupted before action, takes place in 5.x so some events mentioned might be spoilers, tired thirsty elezen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:28:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24062128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuhis/pseuds/tuhis
Summary: Estinien and Aymeric have missed each other for a long time, and the air above them somehow always hangs somber.
Relationships: Aymeric de Borel/Estinien Wyrmblood
Comments: 11
Kudos: 26





	Smiles we never shared

**Author's Note:**

> It's always serious between these two. Somber and serious.

Estinien had arrived in Ishgard the same way he always left. He simply had no presence until he decided to make himself known, and Aymeric had had no idea he even was in the city. It wasn’t until he was mere five steps away from the front door of Borel Manor that he realized someone was leaning against the wall next to it in the first place- yet it didn’t take a heartbeat for him to recognize his old friend.  
In fact, his heart might have skipped one. 

“Fled the frontlines, Lord Commander?”

Aymeric felt a rush of emotion- joy of seeing his oldest, dearest friend again, followed by fright that he was delivering some grave news of impending doom from the eastern lands, even sorrow of he was already going to be gone Fury knows where and for how long that had Aymeric’s heart kick a lump into his throat. Still, the only emotion he permitted to display on his face was the first. 

It was rare of Estinien to visit, and he rarely stayed longer than what was necessary. 

“If you wish to call it that, then by all means do.” He matched his smirk to Estinien’s, despite not quite ever reaching his friend’s level of impishness. “Here to join me in some duty shirking?”

Estinien would stay the night. 

Aymeric had tea and some sandwiches prepared while Estinien bathed the dust of the road off himself, and they withdrew to Aymeric’s chambers. A light supper over tea, and then rest was a suitable plan at this hour; and it did not matter the slightest to Aymeric that his friend was joining him clad in a simple robe, hair loosely tied back. 

They sat down quietly and Aymeric welcomed the familiar somberness in the air that often hung above them when they were together- the moment he had anticipated from the moment he saw Estinien by his home.

“So, what brings you to Ishgard this time?” Aymeric asked as he poured the tea. The question wasn’t borne of need to fill the air with small talk, but genuine interest of what his dearest friend was up to.“My own will. I could choose to come here,” Estinien replied, and took a first sip of tea. “I’ve been voluntold around enough as of late.”

Aymeric nodded as he recalled the heroic deeds of two Lalafellin ladies in Kugane that he had heard of. The twitch at the side of Estinien’s lip and the sound of his exhale suggested that he still harbored some resentment over the episode. Both of them were tired men, but Estinien didn’t seem to carry the weight of a thousand-year war on stiff shoulders anymore; he relaxed in his seat and Aymeric rested his eyes on the sight of him.

“Seeing something you like, Aymeric?”

Estinien had raised his eyes from the table to Aymeric’s, and another skipped heartbeat reminded Aymeric of his own tea, half-full cup that had ceased to steam. Estinien had finished his sandwich and emptied his teacup, and Aymeric had completely lost sense of passage of time for that moment. “Some wistful maiden you are in civilian life.”

“I-” Aymeric shook his head, feeling his ears flush. “To be fair, my friend, I don’t remember seeing you this _well_ , and with how sparsely and under what circumstances I’ve seen you in the recent past-- can you fault me for taking in the sights, to save memories of good times?”

Estinien rose from his seat. “Nay. ‘Tis the same things that had me choose to come here. Kiss you goodnight, that sort of nonsense.”

Aymeric barely managed to breathe out “I missed you” when Estinien leant in and pressed his lips to Aymeric’s.

“I missed you too,” Estinien murmured against his lips as he pulled Aymeric up from the chair and reached for the clasps of his shoulder armor. They parted lips only out of sheer necessity when getting Aymeric to a more comfortable state of dress required some distance. Undershirt and breeches could stay- at that point Estinien tugged him towards the bed. 

“I take it you wish to share with me tonight.”  
“Unless you have objections.”

“None whatsoever.” This was, in fact, just what Aymeric had wished for. He was craving to be close to his dearest again- hells, they wouldn’t even need to touch one another under the covers, he would delight in listening to his resting lover’s quiet breathing as they slept. The way Estinien’s hands wandered down to the hem of his linen undershirt did suggest he wanted to be still a bit closer. Lips pressed together again, hands moved to Aymeric’s sides under the shirt, then down again to his hips, and Aymeric drew back, expecting the shirt to be pulled over his head.

Instead, all of him was gently pushed down to the bed.

- _squeak_ -

 _Oh, the old bed might need some tending to- later,_ Aymeric thought. He didn’t remember his bed squeaking, and Estinien hadn’t pushed him very deep in. He steadied himself to scoot backwards, to make room for Estinien-   
  
- _squeak squeak_ -

“I pray to the Twelve your bed isn’t making these noises,” Estinien muttered as he followed Aymeric, to hover over him on his hands and knees. “Otherwise it just might break under us tonight.”

- _squeaaaaak_ -

Aymeric felt something under his behind as he moved, something that did not seem to be a fold in the bedlinens.

“Hold on, there’s--” he raised one hand to keep Estinien’s advance at bay until the situation was sorted. “There's something under the blanket--”

- _squeak squeak_ -

“Whatever it is, it seems to be the culprit to this accursed sound.” Estinien began patting the bed in search of whatever it was as Aymeric shifted weight off his behind, gathering the edge of the covers near since it was obviously under them-

- _squeak squeak_ **_SQUONK_ **-

Aymeric’s face went pale with realization of what exactly was causing the offending noise, and he dodged aside as the dragoon made a dive at its source, his prey. As Estinien withdrew back to his kneeling position and withdrew his arm from under the covers, Aymeric closed his eyes and sighed in defeat. 

“What in the--” _squeak_ “--oh, _seven bloody hells,_ Aymeric!” 

Aymeric was afraid to meet the dragoon’s gaze, but he cracked his eyes open nevertheless. Estinien was looking at him with a look of utter, silent disbelief, one eyebrow cocked, the hand holding the noise’s source raised to eye level. And as he squeezed, the rubber paissa’s eyes bulged out of its little head with a loud _SQUONK._

 _This_ was not the moment between them Aymeric had anticipated, and it lasted for far, far too long. 

Estinien’s eventual exhale was so hard, it was almost a bark. “Listen, I did buy this for you with my own gil, but I pray you had the wisdom it was _not_ meant for--”  
“I know very well, Estinien-”   
“--tis for your accursed beast of a _cat_ , Aymeric, not--”   
“--do pray forgive me for not keeping accurate track of _where_ his toys are hidden all of the time--”   
“--unless you’d like me to actually shove this up where the sun don’t--”   
“--by the Fury, Estinien, no--!”   
Estinien’s next rebuke was _SQUEAKSQUEAKSQUONKSQUEAKSQUONK_ as he shoved the paissa in Aymeric’s face and squeezed it repeatedly. 

Aymeric couldn’t take it. He cracked and broke into hysterical laughter. The final tinge of anxiety over the moment being ruined dissipated as he heard Estinien’s low rumble of equally genuine laughter. He couldn’t hear the final sad _squaaank_ of the paissa hitting the opposite wall of the room; Estinien didn’t look where he tossed it as he pressed Aymeric down to the bed with his entire body.

And eyes bright, they laughed mouth to mouth, teeth scraping each other’s lips as they laid heart to heart. 

Even if the sound of their laughter faded into kisses and gasps, the joy in their eyes twinkled bright as stars throughout the night.

At least until sleep claimed them both..

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote the end first and the leadup to it after, and that was hard. I just didn't want to forget the idea.


End file.
